Rubber cushion shackle



oct. s, 1931. H. .HRIG 1,826,400

RUBBER CUSHION SHACKLE Filed May 29. 1929 l' tramp and front wheel shimmy can be great.-

Patented Oct. 19.31

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRY IHHIG, or LANSING, MICHIGAN, AssIcNOH rro GENERAL Ho'rons consonancia, OF DETBOILIEICHIGAN, a CORPORATION or DELAWARE:

RUBBER CUSHION sHaCxLn Application led Hay 29, 19294. Serial No. 367,020.

In a well constructed automotive vehicle, which is provided with semi-elliptic front load-carrying leaf springs which are connected at their front ends to the side menibers of the chassis frame by pivot bolts and carried by the steering knuckle, whichV carries the steering arm, when it encounters a bump in the road. Front wheel tram and n front wheel shimmy, in themselves, without regard to their eiect on steering, are highly ob]ectionable. f

Steering wheel kick, which results from the causes mentioned above, front wheel ly reduced, if not entirely eliminated, by connectin the front end of the front spring on the si e of the vehicle on which the'steering arm is provided on the steering knuckle to the chassis frame by means which'allows a y rear connectionof-the springto the chassis limited amount of resiliently opposed movement of the spring and the ad] acent end of the front axle, longitudinally of the spring.

It is, however, preferable `to shackle the front springs at their front instead of their rear ends and to secure the rear end of the spring, on the side ofthe vehicle on which the steering arm 1s rovided on the steering knuckle, to the chassis frame by means which allows a limited amount of resiliently opposed movement of the spring and the adjacent end of the front axle, longitudinally of l the spring.

My invention relates generally, to devices for connecting an end of a leaf spring to a supporting or a supported member, so as to allow a limited amount of resilientl op l sed movement of Athe spring longitu v nal y of itself, and, particularly, to such a device which is peculiarly adapted for use in connectin one end of the front s ring, which is locate on the side of the fve icle on which the steering arm is provided on the steering knuckle, to the chassis frame so as to elim-l inate steerin wheel kick, front wheel tramp and front w eel shimmy.

'is secured to the chassis frameety The invention resides in the-provision of a unit which consists of a bracket, which is vadapted to be secured to the chassis frame of an automotive vehicle, and a shackle, which 1s pivotedat one end to the bracket and 1 s adapted to be pivoted at its opposite end to one end of a load-carrying leaf spring,

and a member extending through an intermediate ortion of the shackle and aresilient sleeve which is secured against 'movement on the bracket.

' Fora better understanding of the nature A and the objects of the resent invention, reference 1s made. to the ollowing spefcification in which is described the preferred embodiment of myinventiongwhich is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In thedrawings: y

tion, the front end of the side member on the steering side-Of the chassis vframe,and the associated load-carrying spring of an 'automotive vehicle.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view showing the frameA partly in section and partly in elevation. 1 f' Figure 3 is a the line 3;-3 of Figure 2.

In the/drawin the reference character I' lindicates the c assis frame of an automotive vehicle. To support the front end of -the .vehicle from 'the road wheels, there are provided an axle 11 and loadcarryin`gyleaf vsprings 12, which are secured to the axle by means of U-bolts 131 The front eds of the the springs by pivot bolts 16.-

e steerframegthere' is provided a bracket 17 which rivets '18. On the bracket there is provid a depending lug 191011 the opposite'l sidesof which are positioned the upper ends ofithe links 20 of.

Figure 1 is a view showing, in `side elevaview taken as indicated bylv v To connect the 'rear end of the s ring 12 on 4the sideof the vehicle on whicht ing arm isprovided on the steering knuckle -to the adjacent side member of the chassis a shackle 21. The upper ends of the links are connected to the baseof the lug 19 b means of a pivot member 22 which exten si through the links and the base of the lug. The lower ends of the links 20, which are located below the outer end of the lug, are con tends a bolt 30.

While vertical forces applied to the shackle 21 through the spring 12 will have no tendency to cause it to swing about the pivot 22 which connectsit to the bracket, move-` ment of the spring 12 longitudinally of itself will cause the shackle to rock about the pivot 22. 'This pivotal movement of the shackle will cause the initially loaded`v or compressed rubber bushing 26 to be compressed between the inner and. outer steel sleeves 27 and 28, and, consequently, the pivotal movement of the shacklevwill be resiliently opposed, the movement o the spring longitudinally of itself will be resiliently cushioned, and steering wheel kick, front wheel shimmy and front wheel tramp will be eliminated.

Although I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this has been done by way of example and not by way of limitation, and thatthe scope of my invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.

1. In a ,device of the class described, a bracket, a lug depending from the bracket, a link positioned on each side of the bracket, a pivot member extending through extremities of the links and the base of the lug, registering openings in intermediate portlons ofY the links and the outer end of the lug, a resilient unit consisting of a resilient sleeve encased in metallic sleeves fixed in the opening in the lug, a member extending through the openings in the links and the inner sleeve, and a pivot member connecting the other extremities of the links.

2. In a motor vehicle, a driving connection between a load supporting sprmg and the.

vehicle frame, including a pair of spaced shackle links connected at one end to the spring, a framebracket affordin a connection for the other ends of said lin and having an extension projecting into` the space between said links, with an opening therein alined with openings in both links intermediate their end connections, a pin carried by' the spring and'frame respectively, a unit for transmittlng driving thrust between the spring and frame while accommodating limited movement of'the shackle links to damp the effect of'road action in the vehicle steer# ing mechanism, including inner and outer members adapted for attachment, one to the shackle and the other to the frame and elastic deformable material interposed between said members for elastic deformation upon shackle movement. y p

4. In a motor vehicle, a driving connection between a load supporting spring and the vehicle frame, including a pair of spaced shackle links connected at opposite ends to the spring and frame respectively, a unit for transmitting driving thrust between the spring and frame while accommodating limitedo movement of the shackle links to damp the effect of the road action in the vehicle steering mechanism, including concentric inner and outer members disposed in spaced v relation with each other between the shackle links, one of said members being connected with an intermediate portion of said links and the other being connected with the frame and resilient means between said members to yieldably resist their relative movement.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

HENRY II-IRI'G. 

